JPS62151871A - Electrophotographic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce size of a device itself and to improve its operativity and maintainability by providing a photosensitive body with a transfer part and a transfer paper passage at its upper part and with an exposing means at its lower part. CONSTITUTION:The device is equipped with the photosensitive body 20, an exposing part 5 as the exposing means, a development part 67 as a developing means and a fixing part 49 as a transfer means. Then, the transfer part 24 is arranged above the photosensitive body 20 and the exposure part 65 is arranged below and the transfer part 24 is arranged above it and enabled to be opened. Further, a belt means 61 which sucks transfer paper and conveys it to the transfer part 24 of the photosensitive body 20 is provided. Consequently, the transfer part 24 and paper conveyance path are easily opened and closed and none of the photosensitive body 20, development part 67 and exposure part 65 as principal elements of the device need not be moved, so the device itself is reduced in size and the operativity and maintainability are improved.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] This relates to electrophotographic devices such as linters.

Conventional technology In recent years, copying machines using electrophotography and optical printers such as laser printers have become widespread due to the spread of zero-millimeter technology. There is also a strong desire for ease of operation and maintenance.

An example of the conventional electrophotographic apparatus mentioned above will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 shows the structure of a laser printer, which is one of the conventional electrophotographic devices. In FIG. 6, 1 is a photoreceptor, 2 is a charger, 3 is a developer, 4 is a transfer device, 6 is a photoreceptor cleaner, 6 is a static eliminator, and 8 is a laser exposure device.

The operation of the electrophotographic apparatus configured as described above will be described below.

First, the surface of the photoreceptor 1 is charged by the charger 2 while rotating in the direction of the arrow shown in the drawing, and then exposed by the laser exposure means 8 in accordance with an electric signal to form an electrostatic latent image. On the other hand, a transfer paper 1o is supplied from the paper feed cassette 9 into the apparatus and sent into the transfer path 12, and the developed toner image on the photoreceptor is transferred onto the transfer paper by the transfer device 4. The transfer paper onto which the toner i has been transferred passes through the transfer path 13, is fixed by the fixing device 7, and is discharged from the apparatus.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above configuration, the transfer paper passage is provided at the bottom of the device, so if the transfer paper becomes clogged in the transfer passage 12, 13, it must be removed. This is troublesome, and the device itself requires a complicated configuration. That is, when the apparatus itself is large, a commonly used means is to open the transfer path by lowering the transfer path components including the transfer device 4 as shown by the dashed line in FIG. In this case as well, the operator has to put his/her hand into the apparatus, which not only makes the work difficult but also causes problems such as getting the operator's hands dirty.

In addition, when the device is small, the main body of the device is opened wide with the transfer path as the border, as shown in Figure 7. It is necessary to lift the components upward, it is difficult to widen the transfer path, and the device is complicated. Furthermore, the fixing device 7 is usually composed of a heat roller heated to a high temperature and a pressure roller, but in this case, the heat generated from the fixing device 7 is transmitted upward.
In many cases, the exposure means located at the top is placed side by side, which also poses problems such as the need for special heat countermeasures.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention improves the reliability of paper conveyance, makes it easy to dispose of sheets even if they become jammed in the general feed path, and prevents the paper from collapsing due to heat from the fixing device. Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a novel configuration that allows the device itself to be made smaller.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the electrophotographic apparatus of the present invention includes:
It has at least a photoreceptor, an exposing means, a developing means, and a transfer means, and the transfer means is arranged above and the exposure means below with respect to the photoreceptor, and the transfer means can be opened upward. Further, the transfer means is constituted by a belt means for adsorbing the transfer paper and conveying it to the transfer section of the photoreceptor for transfer.

Function: With the above-described configuration, the transfer paper conveyance path can be opened and closed without moving the photoreceptor section, exposure means, etc., which are the main components of the electrophotographic device, so the device itself can be made smaller. Moreover, even if the transfer paper should become jammed inside, it can be removed with a simple operation. In addition, with this configuration, the fuser can be configured at the top of the main body, so it is possible to reduce the influence of heat on the main parts of the main body, and the main components of the main body can be arranged more densely, making it more compact. becomes possible.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an electrophotographic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a side cross section of an electrophotographic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2o is a photoreceptor, 21 is a charger, 2
2 is a known developing roll, 23 is a toner, and 24 is a transfer section. The transfer section has a transfer belt 27 stretched between two rolls 25 and 26, and the transfer belt 27 is charged by a belt charger 28. 32, 33 is a registration roller, 34 is a paper feed cassette, 36 is a paper feed roller, 36 is a transfer paper, 40 is a cleaning blade, 42
A static eliminator is composed of a static eliminator lamp 43 and a reflecting mirror 44. 66 is a known laser exposure means, 45 is a polygon mirror, 46 is a motor for rotating the polygon mirror, and 47 is an imaging lens. The laser beam is reflected by reflection mirrors 48 and 49, as shown by the dashed line, and an image is formed on the photoreceptor. 49 is a fixing device, 50 is a pressure roller, 62
is a heat roller and has a heating fixing tube 51 inside. 53 is a paper ejection roller.

The operation of the electrophotographic apparatus configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

In FIG. 1, the photoreceptor 20. Fuser roller 60°62,
The transfer belts 27 rotate in the directions of the arrows. The transfer belt 27 comes into contact with the photoreceptor at the transfer portion 62 and operates at substantially the same speed as the photoreceptor.

First, a charge is applied to the surface of the photoreceptor 20 by the charger 21 . Next, it is exposed to laser light 66. At this time, the laser beam 66 is transmitted to the polygon mirror motor 46, which is a known means.
The photoconductor 2o is scanned at high speed (main scan) in the width direction by the polygon mirror 46, which is rotated by In combination with scanning), exposure is performed in accordance with a required image signal, and a charge latent image in accordance with the image signal is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor. Due to the rotation of the photoreceptor 20,
The charge latent image is developed in a developing section 67, and a toner image is created on the surface of the photoreceptor.

On the other hand, the transfer paper 36 is fed into the apparatus by the paper feed roller 36, and is pressed against the stopped registration rollers 32 and 33 to wait. As shown in Figure 2, the registration roller 3
2 and 33 start rotating, the transfer paper 36 & is fed between the transfer belt rollers 26 and 31. At this time, since the transfer belt 27 is charged by the charger 28, the transfer paper 361L is attracted to the belt 27 and conveyed as shown in the figure, and the toner on the photoreceptor in the transfer section 62 is transferred as shown in 36b. 23a is transferred onto the transfer paper.

When the transfer paper is further fed, the transfer paper is peeled off from the belt due to its rigidity at the belt roller 25 section, passes through the guide plate 64, enters the fixing section, and is ejected from the machine after being fixed (360 ). Toner 2 remaining on the photoconductor
3b is cleaned by a cleaning blade 4o. Furthermore, the photoreceptor 2o is neutralized by the static eliminating lamp 43 in the static eliminating section 42, completing one cycle, and is charged again to enter the next cycle. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the main parts thereof.

The difference from the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is that only the edges of the transfer paper are guided and conveyed as the transfer paper conveyance means.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the transfer paper sea has one end fixed to a rotating conveyor belt 68, one end fixed to a fixed shaft 75, the other end wound around a roller 71, and stretched by a spring 72. The charger 7 is conveyed between the belts 69
After the toner image on the photoreceptor is transferred by step 6, the photoreceptor is conveyed to a fixing device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a method for opening the transfer paper path when the transfer paper is jammed in the transfer paper transport path in the first embodiment.

That is, it is clear that by rotating the transfer section frame 29 supporting the transfer means upward about the shaft 66, the paper conveyance path will be wide open and paper jammed inside can be removed very easily.

In this case, the main components of the copying machine are the photoreceptor, the developing section,
The exposure section, fixing section, etc. are fixed to the main body, so there is no need to move them.

Furthermore, since the fixing section is located above the apparatus, the generated heat is less likely to harm other components.

Further, in this embodiment, a laser scanning means is used as the exposure means, but the same structure can be applied to a copying optical system such as a copying machine which forms an image of an original on a photoreceptor in a photographic manner.

Effects of the Invention As described above, in the present invention, the transfer section and the transfer paper path are provided above the photoreceptor, and the exposure means is provided below, so that the transfer section and the paper conveyance path can be easily opened and closed, and the apparatus can be easily opened and closed. The main components are photoreceptor and developer.

Since there is no need to move the exposure means, etc., the apparatus itself can be made compact, and the apparatus provides excellent operability and maintainability.

Further, with the above configuration, the fixing device that requires high temperature can be placed above the main body, and the overall configuration can be simplified.

In addition, by configuring the transfer and conveyance means with a belt and having a configuration in which the transfer paper is attracted to the belt, a more reliable apparatus can be constructed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the operation of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a side view showing an example of opening and closing of the main body in the first embodiment, 4 is a side view of the second embodiment, FIG. 6 is a perspective view thereof, FIG. 6 is a side view of a conventional copying machine, and FIG. 7 is a side view showing an example of opening and closing the main body of a conventional copying machine. It is. 2o...Photoreceptor, 21...Charging section, 2
4. River... Transfer section, 34... Paper feed cassette, 4
1. Song cleaning section, 42. River static elimination section, 49.
Old... Fixing section, 66... Exposure section, 67... Old...
Developing section. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao Haga 1 person No. 5
figure

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) At least a photoconductor, an exposing means for exposing the photoconductor to create an electrostatic latent image, and a developing device for developing the electrostatic latent image to create a toner image on the photoconductor. and a transfer means for transferring the toner image onto a transfer paper, the transfer means being disposed above and the exposure means being disposed below with respect to the photoreceptor. (2) The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer means is constituted by a belt means that attracts the transfer paper and conveys it to the transfer section of the photoreceptor for transfer. (3) An electrophotographic apparatus according to claim (1) or (2), characterized in that the transfer means can be opened and closed with respect to the main body along the path of the transfer paper.